Cautionary Tales For Children
Wonderful witty poems great for reading to your children. The stories and rhymes will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

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Dragonhide valuables pouch

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How I was tricked, but you might yet benefit and be able to make this wonderful dragonhide accessory

s well as the many campaigns I have conducted to bring back exotic and often dangerous exhibits, I have of course had to make my fair share of mundane expeditions as a matter of routine. One such trip was to locate and secure a reliable supply of prepared dragonhide for an old friend of mine who wished to merchandise dragonhide products.
Throughout the industrial revolution, dragonhide was thought to be one of the strongest naturally occurring materials, apparently resistant to all forms of physical and chemical attack. Capable of withstanding great heat and maintaining its flexibility even in the extreme cold, this lightweight, breathable material had long been favoured by archers and bowmen for the manufacture of arrow-proof jackets in centuries past. It was these exact properties that lead my enterprising friend to consider using the hide for the fabrication of a new type of purse, wallet or pouch that would be strong enough to be proof against theft and protect even the most delicate valuables. He had acquired a lease on a small shop in Bond Street, London, and had fallen in love with the idea of selling these exclusive products to the West Endís more affluent shoppers.
. . .
In actual fact, although dragonhide is a remarkable material, its surface hardness is only comparable to that of quartz, placing it at about seven on the Mohs hardness scale, and rendering it workable with specialist tools tipped with topaz, corundum or diamond (where available). In the late nineteenth Century, centres capable of tanning dragonhide existed in a few countries, but if one desired the most exquisite workmanship, material of the highest quality, and security of supply, then only the tanneries in Mongoliaís capital, the City of Felt, would suffice.

Once the top is pulled shut, only the nimblest fingers will be able to loosen the cord, thus keeping all manner of treasure safe from theft and misadventure.

The journey which had been made bearable by the advent of the newly laid railroad, was nevertheless long and arduous. However, I found it uneventful enough and the long days in my cabin afforded me ample time to read and write, a luxury that I rarely enjoyed in those busy days.
. . .
Needless to say I arrived refreshed and more than ready for the lengthy negotiations with the Shaman Hidemasters in the Mongolian capital of Ikh Khuree (as it was known then) on the banks of the River Tuul, in the shadow of the sacred mountains. From research I had conducted before I set out, I had learned that business discussions with a Mongolian tannery could not be rushed and would only follow after the traditional introductions and appropriate welcoming ceremonies had been conducted according to their custom, and in some cases this could take days as one worked up through the ranks of officials in reverse order of seniority. So you will understand that I was shocked when, on my first day, I was greeted by the Chief Hidemaster himself, actually out in the street, on the steps of the tannery. I fumbled with my traditional token offering of gold and paper but it was brushed aside and I was quickly ushered in to the dark building. What I learned there shocked me. After nearly 200 years of preparing and working dragonhide, the Khruee Tannery was to close its doors to business, along with all the other tanneries in Mongolia. New legislation had banned the trade of dragonhide in order to protect the dwindling numbers of dragons, which were being hunted to extinction. In hushed tones I was told that it was only due to my reputation for honour and discretion that was I being offered what was to be their last shipment of dragonhide. Our business was conducted within the hour, and although I paid considerably more than I had expected, I felt sure that my acquaintance back in London would thank me richly for acquiring such a prize.

Perhaps the less that is said about the price I paid for these hides, the better!

I returned to England and took great care to assure myself that the delivery of our precious cargo proceeded without hitch, and before six weeks had passed my friend had built a thriving business selling dragonhide accessories of every kind.
. . .
And that might have been the end of the tale had not I chanced to overhear a conversation in my Club one afternoon a month or two later. It is not my practice to eavesdrop, you understand, but on this occasion I could not help but take notice of the loud conversation and raucous laughter of a small party sitting at the table next to mine. I pricked up my ears when I heard mention of Mongolian dragonhide tanneries and then to my dismay further laughter at one chapís story of their disreputable practise selling off old dragonhide under the pretence that the material was the last of its kind available. I considered approaching their table, but thought better of it when the gentleman in question went on to say that he had heard of ďone poor blighterĒ who had been tricked into buying nearly three hundred pounds worth of last seasonís dragonhide at nearly twice its market value, after he had been hoodwinked into believing that a ban on the sale of dragonhide was imminent.
. . .
I turned my back to them and prayed that no one recognised me. Later I learned that not only were the Mongolians superior hidemasters, but also skilled at the art of Negotiation By Deception and that the scoundrels regularly fabricated tales of restriction of supply in order to extract the highest possible prices from unwitting purchasers.

Apparently dragonhide is still widely available and these days equipment exists that permits you to make accessories of your very own. I have had Collinworth draw up some simple instructions, which Iím certain you will be able to follow, should the mood take you. As usual, they are, I am reliably informed, available in both A4 and United States Letter size, for your convenience.

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We can't wait to see the pictures of what youíve made. Kids love it when the things you made together are published, so go on upload a picture of what you made. It's easy, just go to your dadcando My Page and upload your pictures into this project and we'll put one of them right here in the project picture gallery.

To give you the higest quality and the shortest download time, most of our downloads are supplied in Adobe PDF format for your convenience. Adobe Reader is standard on most computers, but if you do not have it, you can get the most up to date version free from Adobe, here.

Your downloaded projects

Posted by IsisOfSun - I had some trouble painting the hot glue lines so my dragon ended up a bit spotted.

Posted by luppie05 - I had pouches with different collor glue, but i forgot to make a picture of them all!

Posted by melros - This is my dragonhide pouch with my dragon egg pendant. The pendant is about 1 1/2" long, made from a wooden dowel rounded on the ends, glued and painted as the dragon egg project with a small eye screw attached at the top.

Posted by spyro - My dad made the scales differently and we sprayed the bottom of the material with black pint to make it look scorched and old

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The Dragonry

For all those who may think, in their more reckless moments, that it might be easier to steal a golden egg from under the warm belly of a gently sleeping dragon than would be to make one, it might be wise to heed the text of this ancient rhyme...

Here you'll find so much more than dragons; you'll find projects that make it possible to create fantastic stories and games of your own. Every project is totally original and explained with simple illustrated downloads so that you can do the project together or (depending on age) your child can do it on their own, with a little help from you at key stages, and make something that really looks gorgeous.
All the projects are of the highest quality, because quality and attention to detail are very important to children.
So set your imagination alight with our wonderful dragons projects. Follow the story of Kaptin Scarlet, the famous philanthropist, whose 19th Century adventuring to bring back numerous weird and wonderful artifacts was the delight and fascination of civilized Victorian society. His motto, Life is Your Adventure, is as true now as it ever was, and is perfect for kids and dads everywhere, so make it yours and make the most of the time you spend together.

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